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Meet the Cast: Sarah

Meet Sarah, a Longboarder from New Boston, MI and winner of American Eagle Outfitters’ Project Live Your Life. Follow Sarah on Instagram and Pinterest to learn more about what makes her one of a kind.

You were raised in Hawaii. How is that different than your current hometown in Michigan?

It’s polar opposite. The entire culture and way of life is completely different. I am used to waking up in sunny warm weather and going surfing or hanging out at the beach. Now I am experiencing living in snow for the first time and somewhere without any beaches. My style also had to change. In Hawaii I wore a lot of shorts, skirts and summer dresses. Now 80% percent of my closet is jackets, jeans, scarves and beanies.

How long have you been long boarding for?What inspired you to start?

I’ve been long boarding since I was 10. When there weren’t any good waves to surf, people would long board, so I picked it up.

You play the ukulele. How did you get into that?

My dad played for our church band and I wanted to learn, so he taught me. Once I started getting good he got me my own.

How long have you been surfing?

I’ve been surfing since I was 6 years old.

Are there any similarities between both surfing and long boarding or are they completely different?

There are a lot of similarities! I like to think of long boarding as surfing on concrete. A big difference is it hurts a lot more falling off of a long board then off of a surf board.

Many people say, surfing is not just a sport, it’s a way of life. What are your thoughts on this?

In my opinion it’s very much a way of life. I didn’t surf to compete as a a sport. Surfing was just a part of my life and something that was done almost on a daily basis.

Funniest surfing story?

My funniest surf story is when I was surfing at a spot called Pillars with my brother. A shark was swimming with us and I accidentally touched it without knowing it was there. I screamed and jumped in the air, pushing my brother off of his surf board.

You’re also really into volunteering. Tell us more about that.

I love to volunteer and do mission work. I went to Mexico this year to build homes for the homeless and a school building and I’m going again this spring. I also like helping to tutor special needs students in local high schools.